support worker

disability support worker

customer service representative

rehabilitation manager

personnel manager

Independent Counselling Enterprises

Living in a small town, there were very few opportunities for me to get a job in my field without having access to a car; something that I just simply cannot afford without several months to a year of stead employment (depending on the rate of pay). 

I do not feel comfortable naming the region I worked in, so my apologies for that; I just want to be rid of this company after the experience I had.
---

When I saw a job for a support worker with I.C.E in the town I reside in, I jumped at the chance; especially because they said they would train me and help me obtain any necessary credentials that I didn't already possess. The pay wasn't great to start out ($15.32  per hour), but I was fine with this as I was taking it for an experience job.

When I was first contacted about being hired for the position, I was honest in saying that I don't currently drive and can't do so until I can get something that would allow me to save money back to buy a car, obtain my full license, etc. After a few days and some much appreciated effort on the part of the lovely woman who provides the training, I was told there were 2 clients that were willing to work with me until I could get reliable transport. 

Fast forward a week couple of weeks, they had me meet with a coordinator to orientate with said clients; this was to make sure I was comfortable with them and vice versa. One individual never arrived for whatever reason (which was fine by me considering their daily battles) and the other had to be removed due to outstanding circumstances that I won't mention here. I left that meeting being told I'd receive all the materials I needed to do my job once the client I could still work with had met me. I received NONE of these items (time sheets, daily logs/incident report sheets, etc.).

Skip almost 30 days more and I have heard NOTHING from the Training Coodinator or the Client Coordinator/Admin Assistant that was managing the client that I was still willing to work with. Keep in mind that I had left a few voice mail messages and emails within this time, asking for the paperwork I was meant to get and an update on when I'd be getting hours, What money I had in savings was drying up and I needed to get income coming in and fast.

Nothing but radio silence ensued. 

Finally, on the 29th day of this silence period, I actually received an email back from the Admin Assistant...telling me that they had HIRED ON SOMEONE ELSE to do the job I was hired for in the town I reside in. I don't know when this person was hired on, as they had NOT communicated with me whatsoever until I finally sent an email marked as "urgent". 

Had I not emailed them this way, I do feel that they would have just continued letting me sit here with no pay coming in (I have been looking for jobs since week 2 of no communication, but I digress), never once having a basic level of respect for me, my time and the fact I also need to make a living. I was essentially forgotten about and left in the dark. 

In the email, I was told that they had given my position away to someone else and that they expected me to sit around and wait, not getting paid any kind of living allowance or anything else, until they could give me hours almost an hour outside of where I live. Suddenly, it didn't seem to matter they THEY told me that it was fine that I didn't drive; it became my fault that they gave my position away. How am I supposed to afford a reliable vehicle and insurance/registration when I have no extra cash to save back? When I get no hours at the place I'm employed at? 

Had they told me that the plan had changed weeks ago, I wouldn't be this hurt and angered about it all; I would've been upset, but would have moved on and not wasted my own time on something that wasn't going to amount to anything. I am very offended that I was disrespected in this way, as they wouldn't like it if they were in my shoes. 

One of the only positives that I ever found with this business is that they are more than willing to give you any and all training you need and want free of charge to you. If you feel you need help with something, they will find a way to give it to you. Also, excluding this lack of basic respect for employees that I experienced, the two people that I spoke to were generally nice and caring people. 

Overall, I would not recommend applying for any type of work here if you are unable to afford your own reliable transportation; as you may end up in the same boat I'm in. I'm sending in my resignation letter within the next few days as I do not want to be associated with business practices such as these.

I am a friendly, loyal and clearly dedicated individual who has an ambition to succeed in any environment. Solid work ethic, maintaining high level of integrity and confidentiality in all business dealing. Easily able to adapt to new work environments and learn new skills and desire to improve performance and productivity a team player with strong interpersonal communication skills and desire to work hard to accomplish team goals, also a good numerical and organizational skill with demonstrate ability to multi task, set priorities and meet deadlines, a customer service oriented individual with four  years of experience in food service industry  and food hygiene handling  with a variety of responsibly. And Passion to help people with special needs such as children, elders or disable clients.

Well the job that i do is not everyone is job what i mean by that is it's not a lots of people who can do this job. My job is fun because most of the time are free times unless you need to help or take care of someone other then that is fun there is a lots of things you learn things such is like managing your anger and be able to meet new people and work with them without any problem. The hardest part of the job is medications because a lots of these patients have their names on their med because you don't make mistake specially your first time you really need to be careful because one mistake can cause hundreds of them so basically you really need to be responsible because it's a lot more then what you'll think.

Regular admin job, simple day today with same tasks. Nothing really new learned to be honest. Management doesn't prioritize with employee welfare. Take advantage  of immigrants and pay them minimum wage for a very difficult job. My heart broke on seeing them.

 People get fired for flimsy reasons, because they're not liked. Again, this was an immigrant. Management and Many Admin has mean girl culture and feel above everyone. 

They don't care about improvement of  employee. You're basically there to be used. The staff is tense and the environment makes one feel claustrophobic.The staff that handed over to me told me to keep my head down and stay humble so I don't get the boot too. So unfair. 

The onboarding process was quite seamless, and the supervisors make sure clients protocols are well outlined and followed by all staff. Opportunities for extra shifts if you are up for it.
Numerous On-the-Job training.

My position at this company was very fast paced. There were always new challenges sprouting from every corner, so I learned to manage my time and how to multitask. My communication skills grew, and i am now comfortable speaking up to voice my opinion. I enjoyed working with the other staff in the office, as well as having a chance to communicate daily with clients. I am glad i got a chance to get to know so many wonderful individuals. My passion for these things has grown and I'm hoping to utilize these new skills in more ways.

My experience at ICE is mixed. It will really depend on what home(s)  you end up in. Some homes have strong tls and enforce policies strictly which (trust me) is better. The ones that don’t are stressful and chaotic. My tl was severely under qualified and couldn’t help with any problems. Management was good at telling front line workers what they were doing wrong but not helpful for fixing anything. Overall I gained valuable experience working with people with disabilities but my job was far more stressful than it should have been. 

The agency has an excellent health and safety program in theory. The front line staff are paid compromised wages vs. management and are expected to complete tasks up and above their duties. 
The front line staff can access support depending on their supervisor as there doesn't appear to be a standard practice. 
Clients are treated well but often families don't appear to have a voice to advocate for their loved ones.
However their loved ones are treated with safety first in mind and medical mitigations are addressed as rapidly as possible.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Flexible working hours as a causal and secure hours as a permanent staff. They offer pre-employment and in-service training to keep you up to date 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
If you are  not driving  or have a 2 Million libiaity insurance, you will need to commute with the client by bus. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very friendly and diverse team members 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Good as it's always fun working with a client you know

Most of management is kind, but there are some who are so disorganized and don't reply in timely manner that it affects your own work. Every decision made is with profit in mind over client services because they are a for profit company. Sadly, I witnessed a lot of clients suffer because the company was too profit-focused to make meaningful program changes that would actually benefit the clients. The office atmosphere cultivates toxic positivity and a lack of adaptation.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 43 salaries reported	$15.50 per hour
Disability support worker 4 salaries reported	$17.24 per hour
Customer service representative 11 salaries reported	$20.51 per hour
Rehabilitation manager 1 salary reported	$31.96 per hour
Personnel manager 2 salaries reported	$22.51 per hour

Working at Independent Counselling Enterprises: company overview and reviews

Independent Counselling Enterprises

Independent Counselling Enterprises ratings

Popular jobs at Independent Counselling Enterprises

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected